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Posted: 4/16/2014 8:16:48 AM EDT
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| This is a tough question, its like asking, what car is good. If you dont know what kind of projectile you want to use, there is not much to work off of. To reload standard 55gr fmj rounds at standard speeds, i use h335 or a2230, both of these are popular and good powders. If i am loading heavier rounds such as my 75gr OTMs i use imr4007. Hope this answers your question. |
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depends of course on what you want and what you are going to do with it. Action/3 gun at near ranges aren't going to be the same as 600 yard service rifle with bullet or powder.
for general loads for the former I'll use a ball powder for an easy process; 55 FMJ's with W748, WC844, BLC2. These I can set up the weight thrown and spot check monitor the thrown charge. for a tighter loading with 69-75 grain match bullet I'll use a stick powder like Varget, RL15, 4895 or a host of others. These are slower to load with the stick powder and weighing all of them. |
| Go to the Armory section at the top and scroll down to the reloading subsection. Lots of info there. BTW, with powder availability limited right now, a person's favotite powder may not be a realistic choice. You may have to use something that is on the list for your bullet choice in the reloading manuals, but might not be the "best" choice. Right now I'm using a lot of H4895, because it is readily available, is accurate and makes good velocity with 55-64 grain bullets. But it is long grained and does not meter well. I can't find many powders I might prefer. |
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What bullet weight(s) do you plan to use? What are your objectives for your reloads and shooting? Understanding the answer to these questions is key to selecting a powder for your reloads.
I only use heavy-for-caliber bullets such as 75 and 80 gr. For reloading of large quantities on a progressive press I use TAC. It meters well, is less expensive and works well. For reloading of smaller quantities of match ammo, I use Varget. This meters well but requires you to slow down. Before this thread is finished, I suspect you will have a nearly complete list of powders which will work for 223/5.56 with no way to truly understand which is best for your application. To select from that list, you will need to think about the questions I asked. |
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Welcome to the reloading forum! Be absolutely sure to read through the tacked threads at the top of the forum, especially the ones that instruct new visitors to look through them.
This question has been done to death. Google is your friend. Search for site-specific results using site:ar15.com as one of your search terms. Searching for site:ar15.com what powder for 5.56 223 came up with: Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 Link 4 Link 5 etc, etc. One point I would make is that when you say you're loading 5.56, are you loading to 5.56 pressures, or are you referring simply to the 5.56/223 cartridge? Loading to 5.56 pressures is not for the faint of heart, and not for a new reloader. I don't bother with it, as I see no benefit to the extra muzzle velocity - I keep my reloads below max, and usually hunt for accuracy in the middle of the loading range of a given cartridge. Case in point, my favorite plinking load is a hornady 55 grain softpoint loaded to around 2800-2900 fps, using H335 or BLC2, whichever I can find. It's light, cheap and pretty much foolproof. If I want long-range accuracy, I use a different load. Simply put, your question is a bit like asking 'what car do you like?' There are many different answers to your question based on what, exactly, you're trying to do. Again, welcome to the forum 
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| Thanks for all the info. Exactly what I needed. I just bought a custom AR!5 made to look exactly like the M!6 I carried in Nam. 3 prong flash suppressor (worked great for opening cases of C Rats) teardrop plate on forward assist, vintage stocks, USMC issued sling from 1964, vintage upper receiver with non removable handle, the lower receiver is new but the shop was able to have it detailed to "match" the vintage upper receiver and 20" barrel with forward fixed sites. Right now I want to load Hornady VMax 55 gr SP for plinking and range shooting. I think that load would also work well for "jump shooting" during deer hunting. My manual says 22.3 gr IMR 3031 will produce 2900 fps. I have that on my bench for my 30 30 Winchester but that won't work very well as it is an extruded powder. My local shop stocks IMR 4895 & Win 748 so I am going to give that a try. Anyone think that is not a good idea let me know. |
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Quoted:
I was trying to figure out if the pressure and muzzle velocity was much higher from 556 brass than it is with 223 brass. I assume that because the brass in 556 is thicker there would be more pressure due to a smaller area for the powder. I looked online and am now more confused. There are comments on various sites that say there is no difference in pressure and the 556 and 223 is identical. However, the 556 brass is 2.5 gr heavier meaning there is more brass. Some comments say the pressure or fps is increased slightly. others say it is increased by 50 fps and others say it is increased by 200 fps. And then it gets really weird. There are some comments that say if the pressure with the identical powder in a 556 vs 223 increases 200 pounds and therefore increases fps by 200. However, my Hornady manual shows that "energy" and fps are not the same number. MAN a guy could spend HOURS on the net looking at this data. And for the people that say "if is on the net, it must be true" must really be confused or just believe what they want to believe and everybody else is wrong. BTW don't forget Saturday at noon Eastern time, go out and fire a shot for "the shot heard around the US"!! What are your thoughts "the cost of Freedom is written on The Wall" There is no difference between 5.56 brass and 223 brass. This is right at the top of the FAQ's at the top of the forum. There is no difference in the case thickness, and no difference in the internal volume. Even so, case weight is not a good indicator of internal volume, and neither case weight nor case volume are good direct predictors of muzzle velocity or pressure in a rifle cartridge. The vast majority of what you found in your search are a mixture of myths that are widely propagated on the internet and bad math/physics. Several of us in this forum have advanced degrees in scientific/engineering fields, and there is a collective wealth of long-time reloading experience with many of the regular posters here. You can usually trust what you will find here (but do still keep in mind, of course, that this is an internet forum, not a refereed publication). The velocities listed in manuals are a guess at best - you will find deviation from their results if you put your rounds through a chronograph. Many factors affect accuracy and muzzle velocity, not just case weight and volume. If you use the same rifle they use int he manual (it usually states at least what barrel length and action type was used), you'll usually be decently close (±10%), but the number of variables at play is why you always start with a starting load (at the low end of the published data) and work your way up, always watching for telltale signs of pressure. Again, a lot of these basics are covered in the tacked/permanent posts at the top of the forum.
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Quoted: I was trying to figure out if the pressure and muzzle velocity was much higher from 556 brass than it is with 223 brass. I assume that because the brass in 556 is thicker there would be more pressure due to a smaller area for the powder. I looked online and am now more confused. There are comments on various sites that say there is no difference in pressure and the 556 and 223 is identical. However, the 556 brass is 2.5 gr heavier meaning there is more brass. Some comments say the pressure or fps is increased slightly. others say it is increased by 50 fps and others say it is increased by 200 fps. And then it gets really weird. There are some comments that say if the pressure with the identical powder in a 556 vs 223 increases 200 pounds and therefore increases fps by 200. However, my Hornady manual shows that "energy" and fps are not the same number. MAN a guy could spend HOURS on the net looking at this data. And for the people that say "if is on the net, it must be true" must really be confused or just believe what they want to believe and everybody else is wrong. BTW don't forget Saturday at noon Eastern time, go out and fire a shot for "the shot heard around the US"!! What are your thoughts "the cost of Freedom is written on The Wall" Please don't bring that "5.56 brass is heavier than 223 brass" myth to this forum. Those of us who have reloaded 223 for awhile know better. Please read the FAQ's. Top of the page. |
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